In 2017, Achilles correctly predicted three out of four matches in the soccer FIFA Confederations Cup, Tass notes.

Achilles has been hard at work as of late to prepare for the World Cup. He's been "training to shed weight and get more fit" over the past year, according to the news service.

He's deaf, which in this case is an asset as it "lets him better concentrate" without the distraction of people talking and camera noise during his press appearances.

But more than 1,000 miles to the east in the city of Yekaterinburg, Spartak the lemur picked Saudi Arabia as the winner, Sky Sports reports.

Achilles and Spartak are far from the first animal prognosticators. In the 2010 World Cup, Paul the psychic German octopus gained fame for (correctly) predicting winners by eating out of one of two glass jars bearing the flags of competing countries.

And a few months ago, NPR gave a thorough rundown on all the animal predictions for Super Bowl LII. A complex post-game analysis shows the elephant, hippo, sloth, panda and eagle chose wisely. Beware when taking advice from dolphins, giraffes and puppies — each chose incorrectly.